Confirmation.... WORK!

I am delighted to announce that I confirmed my employment with Manchester Township Public Schools, for whom I will teach English/Language Arts at Manchester High School. It is a five-month temporary assignment -- and I have no complaints about that. After being unemployed for 14 months, this is a welcome development.

Ironically, soon after receiving confirmation of my new job, I got an e-mail from the Washington Post editor running the "Help Wanted: Stories of Unemployment" feature on WP's website; this week's question is: "What's the first thing you'll do when you get a job?" Well, the first thing I did was gather my family together and thank God for this development in our lives. The second thing I'll do is take us out to dinner. We're heading to Artisan's Brewery & Italian Grill in Toms River. I hope they have the Porter on tap!

I also just discovered that the Post used my audio commentary on a recent question, "What's your tip for surviving unemployment?" You can find my response in the top box under the story summary.

Finally... an offer

Although Cherry Hill High School West said "Thanks, but no thanks," and although Markham Middle School in Little Silver said, "Nice chatting with you [twice], but we found a better fit for our school," the superintendent of one of the other districts where I've interviewed gave me a preliminary confirmation that formally he will make an offer on Monday! It's not for the tenure-track "regular" job, but instead will be a long-term sub English teacher slot, either for a minimum of 10 weeks or six months. If he offers a contract, I'm hopping in my car and driving to the Board of Education to sign.  (I'll reveal which district it is once the arrangement is official).

I'll take a temporary position over no position.

In the meantime, I'm about to embark upon on a Last-Weeks-of-Summer-Writing-Binge in that short span of time while I can work on my book full time. Though back in 2002-2003 I managed to write the final draft of Hotel Dick in the wee hours of the morning before work, I'd rather not repeat that process if I can help it. Even if I get closer to finishing most of the rough draft in the next two weeks, I still can polish it up over the course of a few months without having to do it at 4:30 a.m. (I think).

The beat goes on

Had yet another Round One interview at a different school district today -- this one at a middle school in an affluent Monmouth County town. Though not the equivalent of a job offer, the principal on the way toward the exit told me, "You did a great job."

I know I sound like a little boy with an ear-to-ear following an adult's affirmation of Rorschach-like finger painting, but as anyone whom has gone through a protracted interview process in the public schools knows, it's rare to get any feedback at all. Only "You're hired, sign here," or else a letter many weeks after it no longer matters, insincerely saying, ":It was a tough choice, and your credentials are impressive, but I sure hope the line at the soup kitchen isn't that long for you this time of year."

Recognition from U.S. Army

We writers sometimes are satisfied when our work is recognized, taken seriously, or both. I'm delighted to report that an official United States Army news publication recently linked to my journalism blog, U.S. Trade & Aid Monitor. 

I go more into detail about what this means for that blog in today's Monitor post.

Flood of interviews; memoir briefly on hold

While I would love to continue working on my true-crime memoir every day non-stop at least in daylight hours, I got bombarded this past week with a flurry of interviews for teaching jobs.

No complaints, by the way.

Well, with the exception of driving to Perth Amboy late Thursday afternoon for what would have been interview #3 that day -- an interview that fell through solely because no one responded to the front-door buzzer of the decrepit charter school where I was to be interviewed for an English/Language Arts teacher job (a job for which the only question they prepared me in advance to answer was "What strategies do you envision employing in a classroom where most of the students are still learning to speak the English language?)

Perhaps it was a blessing in disguise. Perhaps.

The good news is that I got called in to schedule a demo lesson just hours after interview-of-the-day #1 (one of two that took place in a district where the front-door buzzers actually work, in an affluent system in Camden County -- and I don't facetiously mean the City of Camden).It's a long-term substitute position, but it would be for the entirety of the 2011-2012 school year. No benefits, but it comes with a union-level salary.

I'll take it, if offered.

The interview in school district #2 -- this one was in Ocean County where I live -- likewise appeared to go quite well. In that instance I met with the district superintendent -- a Round Two Q&A that was the last stop prior to a final decision. There are three positions available, including one full-time regular unionized English teacher slot. The other two are so-called "long-term" sub positions, three and six months, respectively.

Next up? An upcoming interview for a full-time regular Special Education English slot at a Mercer County high school (which takes place right after the demo lesson in Camden County, with sufficient time to first stop for lunch). Plus, I have an interview the next day for a temporary maternity leave job for a middle school English teacher opening in Monmouth County.

I think I'll then take a day off from everything (except spending time with my gals), and will resume working in the memoir, which at last count stood at the 36,000-word mark. Regardless of whether I get hired somewhere or not (and hopefully I will), I intend to go on a marathon writing spree in the final weeks of August.

My goal is to hit 45,000-50,000 words before September comes. We'll see.

Memoir-in-progress update, Aug. 5, Part II.

Aimed for 35,000, but instead topped the 36,000-word mark today. Keep pushing -- choo-choo -- the twain said.

Memoir-in-Progress Update; Aug. 5

Although I nearly made it to the 35,000-word mark yesterday on my true-crime memoir -- intending to return to the task later in the evening to reach that benchmark -- I decided to resume course today instead. My youngest daughter wanted to have a Family Movie Night and, unlike the selfish SOBs that many writers tend to be (something I struggle, at times, not to be), I could not and would not say no to my littlest gal.

As soon as I eat breakfast, perform a job search, then post a little something to my news blog (U.S. Trade & Aid Monitor), I will resume work on the book. I remain, otherwise, unemployed, but it is my fervent hope (eesh; what a cliche) -- sorry, it is my sincerest desire -- to obtain work by September. But as the 2001-2012 school year is creeping closer, my prospects for a teaching job will soon start evaporating in the absence of a contract in the next three weeks.

So, in the meantime, I have this pocket of a little less than a month to work near-full-time on a book-length manuscript. I'd rather do it this way than to get up an hour early before work -- as I did when I wrote Hotel Dick, inspired by what mega-author John Grisham had to do early in his career, in order to squeak out of a few pages here and there.

SP Now on LinkedIn

If any readers or potential employers/business associates want to connect with me via the LinkedIn social media systems, send an invite or visit the Steve Peacock (actually, Stephen Peacock) LinkedIn page, which currently is a work in progress.